In response to my statements in a previous post and otherwise that I sort of felt like a m-o-r-o-n for not having pursued solo live music before the age of 37, I got some curious commisseration. Per an e-mail communication.

She had recently talked with another about our same age and noted that it was only now that she felt comfortable pursuing what she wanted to pursue without caring what other people thought.

Personally, I know that 10 years ago I spent way too much time giving a crap about what other people thought. And, 20 years ago, I was too dumb to have any inclination toward this type of inward contemplation. In fact, if I had any wisdom at all in my late teens, I would have studied history and people a bit harder instead of journalism per se.

If you'll just read good writing and pay attention, college will teach you how to write. You don't need a journalism degree to learn that, not by any stretch. But, you have to know how to write if for no other reason than to be accepted by those of us who do know. We'll talk about you endlessly.

During lunch on Saturday with a friend, he noted the show "Mad Men" on AMC and the general dissatisfied nature of white guys in their 30s. Personally, I can't speak to any collective emotions within other races or ethnicities. I just know that pasty white men taken on a dissatisfied, grumpy vibe by the time 35 comes around.

However, I recall an acquaintence, the wife of another acquaintence, who is a relative of a very good friend, saying that she's enjoying things at 44 more than she ever had before. Way better than 34 and triply more than 24.

It leads me to believe that 35 to 50 are the peak years. Not for the purpose of getting rich or becoming famous or for doing things that make your parents proud. These are the peak years for earning wrinkles, which are kind of like the markers of character and why old people look so interesting.

And to a certain extent this concept has me more mentally rebellious than I might have been at 18, ready to roll with the flow, have more fun and be more creative. The dark side of this from the perspective of potential is in the fact that I had to blow 20 years to get here.

Take Tom Waits. Now, here's a guy who knew what he was from Day 1, yet it wasn't what the pseudo-stars of today would call "branding," even though it technically is. But with Waits, his characters and machinations and styles and sounds are all natural. Enjoy this video from a 1976 episode of the Mike Douglas Show, in which he sings "Eggs and Sausages" before smoking cigarettes and conversing with Mike on stage for about five minutes.